A Record a Week: Femme Fatale - As You Sow, So Shall You Reap

SIDE 1.
BLOOD MONEY (Reprise)
I AM FUCKING INVINCIBLE
HANDGUN FANTASY
FUNERAL PARTY

SIDE 2.
BLOOD MONEY
HANDS UP BABY
AS YOU SOW, SO SHALL YOU REAP

This record was the second Femme Fatale record recorded, but the first released. This could be a scheduling thing, a strategic release, or possibly because the record label for this record may have had their crap together a bit more to pump it out quickly.

Containing the first (second?) sub-20 minute burst of fast-paced aggressive music from the mind of Jesse F Keeler. While Keeler was playing in Black Cat #13, he became upset with the band and started this as his side project. Over time, he recorded the music and when he got around to recording all of the songs, he recruited his then girlfriend, an ex-Standing 8 band-mate and a couple of others to fill out the lineup while he kept to the microphone. Their live performances were know for being like a 15 minute musical sprint. The short songs had little break between them and the band would go full volume and full power for the duration of the set, leaving their shirts covered in sweat and instruments covered in blood.

Keeler and his girlfriend broke up and they decided to continue with no keyboard shortly after. In the end, the fact that the band was really the baby of Keeler, matched with the grueling show schedule ended up being too much for the band as a whole. There was a pretty good overlap in time with Femme Fatale and Death From Above (1979), which was (and is again) a pet project of Sebastien Grainger and Jesse Keeler that took on a life of its own once it started going.

Anyhow, back to this record. As with their live performance, the records are swift and to the point. They all tend to have a lead-in that is instrumental. This one also includes a musical outro as well. I think the cohesiveness of this album is great and it also has one of, if not my favourite Femme Fatale song, Hands Up Baby.

I was happy to hear about the recent reunion of DFA1979, but I REALLY would love to see a Femme Fatale reunion.